Sway
by Wide Spread Panic
Summary: AU. Autobots send Sunstreaker to play judge and jury over the human race, but in a twist of fate he finds himself crippled with only his holo. When he accidentally saves a woman, she falls in love. He needs her and to keep her around he has to play along.
1. Ch1: Humanity Blues

Disclaimer: Wide Spread Panic doesn't own the Transformers… are we all agreed? Good.

Summary: The Autobot forces are trying to determine whether the human race are worth saving or not, but unfortunately they don't choose the best candidate to monitor the humans.

Author's note: Yeah, I know. Another TF fanfic? Don't worry, I promise to keep updating _The Deadliest Foe _and _How Far We've Come_ on time. This is just an idea that occurred to me some time back that I never posted. After all, I've only just started posting. ;) It's very different from the other stories and doesn't take place in the same reality, though it too is AU and heavily G1/ IDW-verse inspired.

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Ch.1: Humanity Blues

It was almost a madness now, the fury that drives him. He can feel it; he can taste it, so sharp and bittersweet in the air around his holoform. Stronger than anything, it's the need for revenge. He can never be free of it so long as he walks this world, because it is everywhere. These Pit-spawned organics and their infernal world! The enemy is everywhere! In this crowd it tries to drag him under as he listens to the mummer of their voices and tries not to fall into a lull. The holoform grins to itself. The people jostle and move like startlingly brilliant meteors along their trajectories all around him. They pay him no mind, for he is but one more stranger in a sea of unknown and unremarkable faces. A curious passerby caught his eye and hurriedly looked away, his nerves shaken. His eyes are too intense; people can't stand for him to look at him with his unnaturally blue eyes, and he personally can't stand to look at them.

He could be anyone in his white, button-up shirt and charcoal gray slacks. He wears a long black coat that reaches nearly to his ankles and his wildly unkempt black hair hangs in straggly curls in his face. His wildly electric blue eyes stare out from under his drawn brows.

He slipped from the crowd, from temptation reluctantly and back into the shadows. Every night was different, they all taste different. Smells reach him: the acrid smell of the pollution spouted by the vehicles, the scent of the perfume and cologne, of fried food vendors, cigarette smoke, and sweat. He hates the city. He hates the organics.

It was their fault, after all. The vicious little insects had beset him; HIM of all mechs. They had come in their ragged coverings and attacked him in his recharge, stripping wires, stealing. They had stolen his _tires_ for Primus' sake! He had come to the little mud-ball of a planet to learn from them and to decide whether the organics, _the humans_, were sentient or primitives. To decide whether the human race deserved to be protected and defended.

_Frag that_, he thought disgustedly as he wandered around. One of the little monsters had stolen his transformation cog, leaving him trapped in alt mode, surrounded by savages. Not only that, they had stolen several other parts necessary for him to be able to even move in alt mode. He'd been forced to waste energy using his holoform to try and track down the little slaggers that had stolen parts off of him, but so far he hadn't seen a sign of the ones responsible. Truth be told, he was halfway ready to let the Decepticons have the fraggin' humans. Pit, he'd happily give them directions to their miserable world!

He reached up to shove his fingers backwards through his hair. Yet another human bumped into him and he whirled on them with a snarl that sent them stumbling with a shocked expression on their greasy little face. He shuddered with revulsion. _Humans! Everywhere humans!_

He paused and glanced around, before slipping into an alley. He stalked over to a miserable-looking car and the holoform disappeared. He rebooted his processor and accessed his messaging system. He was expected to report in a timely manner every cycle, or the higher-ups would send someone to haul his aft back to Cybertron like a sparkling. Though he desperately needed help, he absolutely refused to ask. He could fix the mess on his own. He didn't need anyone. He never had. He never would. Sideswipe was the one who always needed saving. He felt a pang in his spark as he thought about his twin. He wondered how Sideswipe was doing without him to look after his glitched aft. He grumbled and prepared to transmit.

**+This is Sunstreaker. Mission is going according to plan. No complications+**

_Dear, Primus. I hate this germ-infested, miserable, glitched-up mud ball of a world. I hate, hate, hate it!_

* * *

"Cassey?"

The young woman opened one gray eye and stared muzzily through the screen of her brown hair at her much younger brother, who was turned around in the front passenger seat to stare at her. "Uh-huh?" She mumbled and brushed her bangs back and tucked them behind one ear.

The boy glanced over at their mother, who had insisted on driving her daughter to the airport, and then back at her. "You know, you could stay awake. You're going to be gone for a month, won't you miss us?" He scowled at her.

"Leave her alone, it's a long flight. Let her sleep," the mom said her attention on the road.

Cassey rubbed my eyes. "I'll call you, Howie. Everyday," she promised. Cassey was nearly twenty-one and Howie was only eleven and his wide blue eyes pouted at his sister. She had shoulder-length brown hair and gray eyes, while Howie was blonde-headed like their mom. He frowned at his sister and blew his breath out loudly, but turned back to his gaming system.

Leaning her head against the cold window, Cassey stared at the blue sky and the thin, wispy clouds. This was her first trip so far from home and her first time in a big city. Her cousins, Valerie and Sophie, had been begging her to come and spend fall break with them for nearly two years, and she had finally given in to their wheedling and promises of fun. New York City. The woman bit her bottom lip.

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Author's note: What do you guys think so far? Please, Review!


	2. Ch2: Hangman

Disclaimer: Wide Spread Panic doesn't own the Transformers… are we all agreed? Good.

Summary: The Autobot forces are trying to determine whether the human race are worth saving or not, but unfortunately they don't choose the best candidate to monitor the humans.

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Ch.2: Hangman

Fraggit…

He slowly crawled from recharge trying to determine where the annoying sensation was coming from. Something obnoxiously cold was being sprayed on his hood. He snapped fully online and grumbled to himself.

Three young humans were busily applying some kind of colored pigment in an aerosol can to him in loud colors. Again. His entire hide had been covered in unintelligible human graffiti and while he did love art, he didn't feel like being art.

He activated his holoform and modified its base mode. He'd learned through trial and error that various things terrified humans. Such as dogs… big dogs.

The three would-be vandals looked up as a loud rumble filled the air. A Doberman the size of a grizzly bear rose up beside the yellow car and its black lips peeled back. Its glowing blue eyes narrowed and it snarled.

Sunstreaker actually went fairly easy on them as far as he was concerned. He only mildly mauled one and ripped the leg coverings off another.

* * *

The airport was a blur of noise and jostling faces that hadn't relented until she'd had gotten on the plane. Her mother had grabbed her in a particularly tight hug and Howie had all but tackled her, his bottom lip sticking out in a pout as she'd said goodbye. She had a window seat on the plane and wasn't sure if that had been a good idea or not. On the one hand, the view was spectacular, but on the other it was very high. Cassey had never liked heights and the idea of being on, what was essentially, a metal tube full of people very high above the ground was unnerving. She didn't know the couple occupying the seats beside her, but they were quiet and left her alone the whole trip.

Time dragged by slowly and it was odd. It seemed as though the plane, at one point, was racing toward the night, while it fled before them. Eventually, they caught up to the darkness and all she could see out of the small window was the pure blackness like velvet. Slowly, little towns passed by and she kept her head turned to the chilly glass in fascination. Little glows of orange, yellow and white gleamed against the darkness like jewels. Suddenly, she could see the glow of the city and it seemed to stretch on forever. It looked like fire to her, like the whole city was burning.

* * *

After the plane landed, Cassey felt anxiety seize her in its cold grip. LaGuardia airport was much bigger than the tiny one she'd left from. She stared around at the unfamiliar faces moving around her. Someone bumped into her and she reflexively snatched her little green purse closer. She turned in a circle, unsure and slowly began walking in the same direction most of the people from her flight were heading in. Suddenly, arms wrapped around her neck and she whipped around. Sophie, with her frizzy strawberry-blond hair and sparkling blue eyes leaned in my face and kissed her on the nose.

"Hey, Cass!" Sophie said with her voice high and light like the tinkling of bells. Cassey smiled and hugged her back. Sophie was taller than her with a dancer's figure and a long, freckled face. She'd always felt mildly jealous around her cousins and she felt the familiar twinge of jealousy. Valerie was slightly shorter than Sophie, but she was still taller than Cassey. Even though Valerie and Sophie were sisters, Valerie had short spiky blond hair and brown eyes and dressed like a punk. "Val, couldn't come. She's pulling a late shift," Sophie said and she tapped a finger against her lip. "Let's see, I guess we need to get your stuff. What do you want to do tonight? Ooh, we could go clubbing!" She said in a sing-song tone and she clapped her hands together excitedly.

Cassey forced a laugh at her cousin's endless energy. "Actually, I'm pretty worn out. Can't we just go back to your apartment?"

Sophie pursed her lips slightly in a pout. "Yeah, jetlag blows." She straightened and threw an arm around her neck. "Well, welcome to the jungle, cousin."

As they passed a small gift shop, Cassey hesitated, thinking to get something for Howie. She picked up a stuffed bear wearing a shirt that said: I LUV N.Y. and debated whether to buy it as Sophie hovered impatiently nearby. She finally took the toy to the counter and one of the newspapers on the rack nearby caught her eye. In bold print it declared: COPS BAFFLED. Below that was a picture of a man in a uniform standing at a podium.

"Oh, the Hangman again?" Sophie asked at her elbow making her jump. Sophie picked up the paper and bought it from the man who nodded grimly.

"Some random guy again near the south side," the cashier muttered to them.

"Who's the Hangman?" Cassey asked and she felt embarrassed as they both stared at her in disbelief.

"Cass, don't you watch the news? He's a serial killer. The cops can't catch this guy, cause see he targets totally random people, right?" She followed her ocusin through the airport as she explained. "He kills 'em and burns the bodies. He's burnt a couple of buildings down too."

"That's not anywhere near where we're going to be, right?" She asked suddenly feeling uneasy.

"Not near his turf. He stays in the boonies mostly. Least, that's where all the crimes are committed." Cassey glanced sidelong at her cousin, but Sophie didn't seem the least bit worried. Sophie grinned at her suddenly. "Guess who has a new car?"

"Er, you?"

"Ding! We have a winner." Sophie paused and sighed. "Actually it's Val's, but that makes it like half mine."

"You helped pay for it?" She guessed.

Sophie made a face and rolled her eyes. "No, but I borrow it all the time. Possession, my dear cousin, is nine-tenths of the law." She threw her arm around Cassey's neck again and pushed her along.

Driving on the interstates of N.Y. was…interesting. Cassey kept a firm grip with one hand on the little divider between their seats and the other clutching her knee. Traffic was an endless stream of headlights and they were in the very middle of it. Sophie seemed thankfully ignorant of her cousin's tension and was tapping her fingers against the wheel in time with the radio. Wanting to take her mind off the traffic, Cassey picked up Sophie's newspaper and began skimming. The entire front page seemed to be devoted to the so-called "Hangman." The victim had been a man who had been tried for murder, but hadn't been found guilty. He'd been found broken in half and stuffed in a gasoline-soaked trashcan in an alley. Police had been surprised to find the body before it had been lit on fire for once.

"Some people say he's like an angel of vengeance, you know," Sophie said suddenly as she noticed what Cassey was reading. "His victims are usually people who've been tried for crimes, but were found not guilty. Well, mostly. No one knows what this guy looks like or anything or even why he does it."

Cassey stared at the black and white picture on the page with a morbid sort of fascination. _What could make someone decide to take another person's life? What could push someone that far? _She slumped further into her seat with a small frown.

"So, you want something to eat?" Sophie asked, as she turned onto an off ramp. "I know this just awesome Italian place-oh! Hey, Cass, Val got invited to this swinging party tomorrow night. So, wanna come?" She glanced at her cousin from the corners of her eyes.

Cassey fidgeted and stared at her lap, floundering for an excuse. She had never been into big social gatherings. "Um, I don't have any…party clothes or anything…"

Sophie laughed. "I think we can find something." She pursed her lips thoughtfully and Cassey eyed her warily. "Some of my old clothes might fit…" Sophie chuckled to herself.

"What?" Cassey demanded suspiciously.

"You're just so tiny! Like a doll."

She glared at her grouchily. "Yeah, yeah. You get to play dress up," she said in mock-annoyance. She laughed at Cassey's pouting and she grinned too.

* * *

Val was home when they arrived. She was cleaning the tiny little den when they walked in. She grinned at Cassey with her impish face and several assorted bits of silver glinted on her person. She warmly welcomed them both home, nearly tackling her cousin. Home, as it turned out, was an apartment that both her cousins insisted was spacious, but was decidedly claustrophobic to someone used to houses. Their apartment only had two bedrooms, so Cassey ended up camping out on a fold-out couch. The place was surprisingly tidy, due to Val's almost obsessive desire for order. Sophie was the opposite, seeming to explode wherever she sat and leaving a wreckage of books and makeup and other odds and ends in her wake.

They sat in the den that night eating Italian take-out and catching up. Val worked as a designer for some major label and was more than eager to show Cassey all of her new designs, while Sophie worked as a clerk in a small camera shop. She'd really forgotten how much she'd missed them. They had once lived near Cassey and she'd always been tagging along behind her older cousins, but after their father had gotten relocated for his job Cassey'd been left with only Howie to play with. It wasn't that she had anything against Howie, but she wanted other girls around to talk to and Howie was so much younger than she was anyway.

* * *

Valerie and Sophie both set on Cassey like wild dogs that morning. Dragging her sleepy butt out of bed and into Sophie's closet to try and play dress up in the hope that something would fit her. Unfortunately, they couldn't find anything they thought was acceptable. Personally, Cassey thought they didn't seem all that upset about it. Sophie had danced around when Val had grimly announced that they would just have to go shopping.

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Author's note: what do you guys think so far? Please review!


	3. Ch3: Savior?

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Disclaimer: Wide Spread Panic doesn't own the Transformers… are we all agreed? Good.

Summary: The Autobot forces are trying to determine whether the human race are worth saving or not, but unfortunately they don't choose the best candidate to monitor the humans.

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Ch.3: Savior…?

The party was huge, completely different from the tiny get-togethers Cassey was used to. Valerie and Sophie had pretty much bailed on her the instant they'd crossed the threshold and she'd been left amid the pulsing lights and a crowd of strangers. Uneasy, she'd done what she had always done at parties at home; she slipped quietly to the wall and tried to appear unobtrusive so no one bothered her. Which failed miserably, she was almost immediately aware of someone staring at her.

The man was tall and thin looking with hunched shoulders and frighteningly intense brown eyes and straggly matted hair that hung in his face and completely obscured the right side of his face from view. He was dressed in an olive colored turtleneck and black slacks and he was staring at Cassey in a decidedly unabashed way. She tried to ignore him and he tilted his head to one side reminding her of a curious bird of prey.

A few men came up and asked her to dance, but she politely refused each time. The last had been a rugged looking man with short brown hair and friendly blue eyes, and he seemed to be unable to grasp the fact that Cassey didn't want to dance and hovered nearby chatting. When the fact that he wasn't going to go away sank into her own awareness, she reluctantly chatted back. The entire time she was aware of the straggly-haired man staring flatly at her. His expression had changed from interest to almost a sort of disgust that worried her.

Cassey discovered her chatty friend turned out to be a Tom Coley and he was a local police officer. He was also single, interested and creepily insistent in his determination to force her to dance. She was suddenly aware of Tom's eyes shifting uneasily as someone slipped up behind her. She realized the man who'd been staring at her had finally wandered off. Unfortunately, she had a pretty good idea exactly where he had wandered off to. She turned and stared at him as he loomed over her shoulder.

"Hello, beautiful," he said and his voice was shrill and raspy and it sent tremors up her spine. She whipped around all the way and stared up at him. Even hunched over as he was, he was much taller than her. Unnervingly so. He smiled in a sickly sort of way down at her and she saw Tom shifting uneasily behind her. "Let's dance."

Tom seemed to bristle and he glared at the other man. "She doesn't dance," he snapped.

The black-haired man tilted his head and chewed on his bottom lip before smiling slightly. His eyes burned into Tom's. "Not with… _you_," he said. Before Tom or Cassey could respond he seized her wrist in a painfully tight grip and pulled her away into the crowd and through it to the other side of the room. Something in her brain finally clicked and she tried to pull free.

To her surprise, he immediately let go. He grinned at her again and she realized how yellow his teeth were. _Ugh._ "You had this just pathetic look on your face. Heh. You wanted someone to _save_ you," he said and he leaned in her face. Cassey stepped back and his smile widened considerably. "Want to go out? Get away from all these losers?"

She glared and moved away towards the other partiers. Something about him set off little alarms in the back of her head. There was something very wrong about him. She was aware of him watching her and she heard soft laughter bubbling up from his throat. She tensed and begin hunting for her cousins nervously.

"Why so nervous, beautiful? Do I _scare_ you?" She stumbled and stared up at him and he smiled while gnawing on his bottom lip. _How the hell did he keep doing that?_ She wondered as she backpedaled again.

"What do you want?" She demanded and she tried to sound tough, but she heard my voice squeak treacherously.

"What do _you_ want?" He countered. His expression became sly and he leaned sideways in front of her and winked.

"Nothing from you," she snarled with a blush, walking around him.

He stepped sideways to block her path. "What's the hurry, beautiful?"

"Who are you?"

The question seemed to throw him, because he rocked back and frowned at her. "Me."

She rolled her eyes and scanned for her cousins. It figured, they'd dragged her there and then ditched her with some mental creep. "Your name?"

"Ah, that," he said. He made a face as though having to think about it. "Well what do you _want_ to call me?" He asked with a leer.

_Why the hell was I trying to talk to him?_ She shook her head at herself and walked faster, but he trailed along behind her like a gangly shadow.

"Joe, you can call me that," he muttered and she turned to look at him. He offered her another sickly smile. "Just, Joe."

"Why are you following me?" She snapped uneasily. Her mind was screaming at her to shut up and get away from the creep, but there was something morbidly fascinating about him.

"Does it _bother_ you?"

"Yes!"

"That's _why_," he said. She whirled around to face him, but he was nowhere to be seen. She frowned and glanced around, but he had simply vanished. She wrapped my arms around her body and walked into the safety of the tight knot of dancers.

* * *

They left her. The knowledge sank in as Cassey desperately hunted for her cousins. She hadn't seen either of them in hours and she was panicking. She wrapped her arms around herself and trembled. She dug around in her purse and found two twenty dollar bills. Surely, she pleaded, that was enough to get a cab to take her back to the apartment. She was nearly in tears as she took the elevator to the bottom floor and slipped onto the sidewalk.

* * *

"Val!" Sophie yelled over the pounding music. "Have you seen Cass?"

* * *

She fidgeted by the roadside, praying a cab would drive by. In the movies, there was always a cab somewhere, but she couldn't see one. She couldn't see anyone.

"Hey, beautiful," purred a disturbingly sinister voice from behind her.

She turned slowly and saw "Joe" pulling his hand out of his pocket and she saw the steel gleam in his hand. She took a step backwards, her legs trembling.

"Where you going, baby?"

She wanted to run for the building, but he was between her and the entrance and against her will, instinct took over and she bolted down the sidewalk. She heard his heavy feet pounding the pavement behind her.

* * *

The sound of running feet stirred him from recharge. His holoform flickered into life and he turned toward the sound. He'd learned the hard way that he needed to keep an optic peeled when humans came anywhere near his body.

A small human dressed in tiny coverings and awkward looking pointy feet covering tore past the alley mouth, spotted him, and scrambled for him. His holoform's eyes widened as the tiny human latched onto his arm.

"Help! Please, help me!" It howled and it tried to hide behind him. His lip curled in disgust and he shoved the organic away. It stumbled backwards and fell on its aft. "Please!"

He looked up and spotted the source of the tiny creature's panic. Another, larger human had entered the alley carrying a pathetically primitive blade weapon. He glared from the cowering human to the one that was brandishing the blade and snorted. He folded his arms across his chest. It sure as frag wasn't his problem.

Unfortunately, the larger male seemed to decide that he was a problem and it rushed him with the tiny blade slashing. Years of gladiatorial combat kicked in and he kicked out and knocked the weapon from the human's hand. He swung double-fisted and connected heavily with the human assailant's head. It was thrown backwards into the brick wall of a building and it slid to the ground, leaking red fluids.

Abruptly, the smaller human latched onto him. To his horror, it was leaking from its visual and nasal organs. He hissed and tried to shake it off and realized it was thanking him. He shoved it on its aft again and glared at it.

"Keep your grubby little hands off me!" He snapped. He stared at it and frowned. He glanced at the larger human and then back at the smaller human. The smaller one had two protrusions on its chest and wore diminutive coverings. He consulted his human database.

_Ah. It was a female. Primus, humans are ugly._

He pointed toward the mouth of the alley. "Shoo. Go on. Go play in traffic or something," he ordered.

"You saved my life," the little female protested weakly as she climbed to her feet. "How can I thank you?"

"By going the frag away!" He snarled. "What could I possibly want from…" He pursed his lips thoughtfully and eyed the little female. While his holoform was very versatile, it could only go so far from his actual body. _While if two were hunting for his stolen parts, he could get fixed and go home successful all the sooner._

He smirked. "Actually, maybe you can do something for me…"

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Author's note: Thanks for reading and please review!


	4. Ch4: Dealing With Humans

Disclaimer: Wide Spread Panic doesn't own the Transformers… are we all agreed? Good.

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Ch.4: Dealing with Humans

Sunstreaker wrinkled his holoform's nose as the female stepped closer again. _Ugh, human stink._ The little female reeked of fear and some type of horrible floral scented cleanser. The little female looked up at him with a sickeningly trusting expression. He didn't know why she was so enamored with him for beating the slag out of the male, but it was definitely a useful turn of events.

"My… car was vandalized," he was explaining and he stepped aside so she could see the body, trapped in alt mode. The little female's eyes widened in shock.

"That's your car?" She asked in a quiet whisper of awe. She bit her bottom lip. "Isn't that a… a Lamborghini?" Her eyes became hungry and she kept chewing her bottom lip.

Her expression was one of envy, he realized in amusement. He smirked to himself. "Yes, it is. Do you know much about cars?"

She glanced at him and blushed slightly. "My uncles are big car guys. Jeez, what happened to it?"

He scowled and she took a step backwards. "I was—it was vandalized," he corrected calmly. He walked around her, studying her apprehensive expression. "See, this is where you can help me. Some… important parts were stolen. I need them back."

She mulled that over and her expression became confused. _Slaggin' slow glitched-up humans!_

"Why don't you just buy new parts?"

He smiled in a decidedly nasty way and she backed up. "Because, they have… a sentimental value for me. This… car has a sentimental value and I want my parts back—the original parts."

She chewed on her lip again and looked up. "I can try to find them, I guess."

"Good, girl," he said and he turned to walk away.

"Um, my name's Cassey," she told him, staring at her feet and the tiny pointed coverings on them. The skin on her face reddened slightly. _Embarrassment_, he thought mildly.

He rolled his eyes, since his back was to her. _Like I give a frag_. He allowed a tiny smile on his face, even alien femmes found him irresistible. He turned to look at her.

She began tugging and messing with part of her covering nervously. She took a step after him. "What's your name?"

He stared and waited, but the female was apparently serious. He hadn't counted on that. "Sunny," he replied with a curl of his lip. His twin had always called him that and he sure as Pit wasn't going to waste his real name on a worthless insignificant human.

"Thank you, Sunny," she said timidly and she darted away. He only snorted in disgust.

* * *

Sophie all but tackled Cassey as she stepped into the apartment and crushed her in a hug. "Where the hell did you go? We called _the cops!_ Geez, Cass, do you know what your mom would_ do_ to us if we lost you?" She shook the younger woman roughly. "Are you okay?"

Valerie stepped between them, tugging her sister off. "She won't be if you don't let go."

Cassey staggered back and bit her lip. "Do you guys know what happens to parts when they're stolen off cars?"

They both stared at her. "Geez, you hit your head running around out there?" Sophie demanded.

Cassey sighed and flopped down on the couch and Valerie walked over to feel her forehead. "She is a little warm…" Cassey irritably swatted her cousin away.

"I'm fine. I just asked a simple question!"

"Why did you leave the party? I know you know better!"

Cassey shrank back with a scowl, for some reason she didn't want to admit to her close call. She knew if they knew how close she'd come to being hurt or killed, they wouldn't let her out of their sight. More than anything, though, she wanted to keep Sunny to herself. "It was an accident," she said slowly, hating lying to them. "I was tired and didn't want to ruin your fun. I was going to get a cab ride back to the apartment and call it a night. I should've told you guys. I'm sorry."

"Do you even realize what _time_ it is?" Sophie railed angrily.

"I got lost. That's all. I'm sorry."

"Maybe you should get some sleep," Valerie suggested, and she laid a hand on her sister's shoulder and Sophie seemed to deflate somewhat. "We can talk in the morning."

Cassey shook her head as they left her alone in the living room. She pulled her knees up to her chest and thought about the unearthly handsome man with the piercing blue eyes.

Her savior. _Her_ Sunny.

She smiled and decided that with or without her cousin's help, she'd go and try to find someone who knew about stolen car parts. She refused to let him down. She_ couldn't_ let him down. The last thing she wanted was to see disappointment on those perfect features. She snatched up a gaudily colored throw pillow and curled up on the couch with a smile.

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Author's note: What do you guys think so far? Please review!


	5. Ch5: Research

Disclaimer: Wide Spread Panic doesn't own the Transformers… are we all agreed? Good.

Author's note: Edited.

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Ch.5: Research

Tom smiled faintly as Cassey sat down in the chair opposite his desk. He seemed genuinely pleased to see her, and she suspected he might have developed a little crush on her. She felt mildly bad as she batted her eyelashes at him and smiled warmly, but she needed his help and if he thought she liked him back, maybe he'd be more helpful. He certainly was warming up to her.

His office was tiny and cluttered with paperwork. A little bobble head Jedi sat precariously on one corner of his desk and there was a picture of a blond woman in a red dress stuck to a corkboard behind his seat. Tom was wearing a police uniform that looked like it was in dire need of ironing, but his hair was obsessively combed into order and his teeth gleamed white.

"So, what can I help you with?" He asked and he flashed her his gleaming smile.

"Actually, I have a rather odd request," she admitted sheepishly. She crossed her legs and smoothed her skirt self-consciously.

"Well, I'll do my best." He made a show of straightening the papers on his desk, though it only served to bring further attention to the clutter.

"Do you know anything about stolen car parts?" She asked intently.

His expression became curious. "Car parts? Did you have a car vandalized?"

"No, no. It was a… friend's. I'm just trying to help him." She replied and she fidgeted with her hands awkwardly.

He smiled winsomely at her. "Well, what kind of car was it?" He asked and he lifted a mug of coffee to his lips.

"Er, a Lamborghini…"

He began enthusiastically coughing as he choked on his coffee. "A _what_?"

"…a Lamborghini…"

He gaped at her, with coffee dribbling down his chin and then he hastily wiped his mouth off on the back of his hand. "_A Lamborghini_? Your friend has a _Lamborghini_?"

Cassey nodded sheepishly, blushing at the shocked and reverent look on his face.

Tom seemed to regain his composure and he sat his mug down. "I can keep an eye out for stolen… Lamborghini parts, but stuff like that… Didn't he have it locked up?"

She shook her head and Tom sighed heavily.

"Damn. I'll see what I can do, but I'm not promising anything."

* * *

Sunstreaker sat with his holoform's back pressed against his body. He crossed his arms crankily. _Where the frag is that useless human?_ In the time she'd been gone, the planet's sun had risen and he'd had to hide the body of the male who'd tried to attack him. He'd found a round metal covering set into the human's roadway and had levered it up and dumped the body down into the foul-smelling depths. He was mildly pleased to have found a new hiding place for the organics that annoyed him. He'd discovered that the humans panicked whenever they found the deceased of their own species just lying around.

He glanced up as two young males walked past his alley. The two slowed down and headed his way and he smiled grimly. The thing he'd learned about humans was that they kept repeating their mistakes. The young males kept trying to rob his holoform and he kept beating the slag out of them, usually unintentionally off lining them in the process.

As the two men headed toward him with identical smirks, he smiled and cracked his knuckles loudly. One of them pulled a knife and he chuckled.

_Fraggin' glitched-up critters._

"Hand over your money, pal," the one with the knife leered.

Sunstreaker sat up and gestured for them to come closer. "Why don't you come and get it?"

Knife human rushed at him, swinging the blade for his face and he ducked, and smashed the male in the face with a fist. The man fell to his knees and slashed at Sunstreaker's legs, but he kicked him in the head. He grabbed the man by the back of his neck and threw him headlong at his buddy. The two scrambled over each other and turned tail.

Sunstreaker snorted at their cowardice. But on the bright side, he wouldn't have to hide another body.

* * *

Cassey, armed with a phonebook she'd "borrowed" from the police station, walked along the street, glancing through the listings. To her horror, there were hundreds of car part shops listed. Not only that, but she had no idea how to tell parts that went on a Lamborghini from parts that went to other cars. She tucked the book under one arm and headed back towards Sunny's alley.

She had no idea whether he would be there or not, but she wanted to see him again and tell him about the progress she had made. She smiled and blushed lightly as she began to walk faster at the thought of him.

She rounded the alley and stepped hesitantly into the alley. Her face fell when she didn't see him and her shoulders slumped. She crossed her arms and turned away to head back to the apartment.

"Where are you going? Did I tell you you could leave?"

She spun on her heel and grinned as Sunny stepped out from behind the mangled corpse of the yellow Lamborghini. He crossed his arms and glowered haughtily down at her.

"Hi, Sunny," she said, her voice breathless. "How are you?"

_How the Pit do you think I am, stuck on this miserable mud ball?!_ "Did you find anything, woman?" he demanded, ignoring her question.

"I told the cops and they're going to keep an eye out. I also have the addresses for several parts shops, because I was thinking whoever may have stolen the parts may have resold them." She held the phone book up triumphantly and flipped to the pages she'd found and showed them to him.

_That's helpful, you glitched organic…_ "Good," he muttered between his teeth and the little human preened at the compliment and she began toying with her skirt again.

She cleared her throat. "Can you recognize the parts if you saw them again?"

He glared at her. _What kind of question was that?!_ "I should be able to," he mumbled irritably. "Show me these… part shops."

* * *

Author's note: Please review, what do you guys think?


	6. Ch6: Human Interactions

Disclaimer: Wide Spread Panic doesn't own the Transformers… are we all agreed? Good.

* * *

Ch.6: Human Interactions

Sunstreaker sighed grouchily as he followed the little human femme through the sea of humans. Everywhere, stinking, vermin-infested primitives. He hated it. Oh, how he hated it. He glared at the jubilant little female in disgust. Did she have to be so… cheerful? She was determined to be sociable and she was yammering at him continuously. He toyed with the idea of shoving her into the pulsing stream of traffic, but then he'd be back to square one. He glared at the speeding cars longingly.

"This is the first one," she said and he glared at her. She had stopped in front of a grimy little shop. He looked at the filthy window with its dim neon sign and shuddered.

She pushed the heavy door open and looked at him expectantly. With a resigned little growl, he swept past her, his head held high. He wouldn't be brought low by a little dirt. He glared imperiously around the cluttered room at the greasy parts stacked haphazardly in boxes or on tables. The automotive parts loomed around him like a macabre cannibalistic display from the pit. The large, pudgy male behind the counter was greasy looking with small, watery eyes that appraised them narrowly.

"Can I help you?" He muttered, looking disinterested and put-upon.

The little female, Cassey, smiled cheerfully and fiddled with her hands nervously, casting a glance at him. "We're looking for… um, Lamborghini parts," she mumbled sheepishly in a tiny voice.

The man stared at her and snorted. "The hell does this look like? I ain't got nothing like that," he said with a dismissive gesture.

Cassey glanced back at him, uncertain and Sunstreaker stalked past her, scanning the parts stacked intently. His lip curled disgustedly. "No," he said.

The little female deflated somewhat and followed him back onto the street. He grumbled at the rushing press of bodies. _Fragging humans._ He glared at her as she referred to the battered phone book.

"The next one's up three blocks on the other side of the street," she said, her expression questioning.

He nodded and stalked past her, his teeth gritted at the strain. Moving so far from his body wasn't only an unpleasant strain, but it was dangerous. Primus only knew what was happening to his body while he was gallivanting around in his holoform.

They came to the point where they'd have to cross the street, crowded on both sides with impatiently waiting humans. He glared up at the sign that said Don't Walk. _Frag this_, he decided. This would take forever. He definitely knew one way to stop traffic. He waited until the little female wasn't looking; she had a tiny attention span he decided, and planted his foot on the rump of one portly human male standing in front of him and pushed.

Someone screamed as the man flailed and fell into the street on his faces. Brakes screamed angrily as cars tried to stop. Sunstreaker mutely watched the cars slam into each other and without waiting to see if the male got flattened or not, he seized his human and stormed across the street past the now stopped traffic as humans yelled in panic and screamed in horror. Metal screeched as the cars piled up behind them and Sunstreaker hummed tunelessly under his breath.

"Oh, my God. What happened?" Cassey babbled with wide eyes and he rolled his.

"Little idiot fell, I guess," Sunstreaker muttered when he realized she was waiting for his answer. He dragged her along behind him, ignoring the uneasy and fearful look on her face. He sighed at the look of shock on her face and scrambled to think of a more appropriate response. "Poor man," he growled in mock-sympathy, resisting the urge to roll his eyes.

She looked uncertain, but nodded and swallowed. "Somebody should call an ambulance…"

"Someone will," he responded indifferently, not really caring one way or the other. He eyed her and ground his teeth. "You did a good job finding these shops," he said and he flashed her a smile.

Her eyes clouded and she reluctantly returned his smile. "Thanks," she said, perking up.

He shook his head when she wasn't watching. _How stupid could these humans be? You stroke their egos a little and they'll do whatever you want._ He realized he was still holding her arm in a vice grip and abruptly let go. He saw regret flash across her face, before smoothing into a wary smile. He bit back a bitter laugh. He could smell the pheromones the female was releasing. She was attracted to him. Not that that was much of a surprise, the femmes back home had found him irresistible, so of course all females, regardless of species would find him attractive. He mulled over that thought. If she thought he returned her feelings, she'd probably work harder.

He smiled winningly at her and watched bemusedly as her face flamed. This could certainly be entertaining if nothing else. He chuckled to himself and watched her look away hastily in embarrassment.

Very entertaining.

* * *

Author's note: *grumble* this story's kind of crawling along; this chapter's shorter than I intended it to be, but what do you guys think of this meaner, darker Sunstreaker? Review, please!


	7. Ch7: Closer

Disclaimer: Wide Spread Panic doesn't own Transformers, blah, blah, legal-ramblings- on to the fun part :)

* * *

Ch.7

Closer

_Meat sacks. Quasi-intelligent meat sacks._

Sunstreaker's hologram rumbled quietly as he followed the human girl. He wondered vaguely what her name was again, but dismissed the thought even as it floated to the surface of his processor. She was irrelevant to him, but for the fact that she had more range than his damnable holoform. The further they moved from his true body, the shakier he got and the harder it was to hold the holo together.

She kept periodically glancing over her shoulder as though she needed to reassure herself that he was still there. To his dark amusement, the female was utterly infatuated with him. He wouldn't have called himself a vain being, but he did take pleasure from others noticing his perfection- even if it was just from a human meat sack.

So pathetically fragile this species; this world, he thought. Small things wrought of bone, flesh, and blood wholly dependant on their own pitiful adaptive skills. The only reason the world had come to Autobot attention at all was because the Decepticons had expressed an interest. He watched the small femme all-but prance ahead of him.

What could the Cons possibly want from this miserable world? The inhabitants were so weak, they'd never survive to become useful slaves or drones. _So why?_

"Sunny?"

He growled, looking up at the femme. He tried to imagine her on display in the estate of some wealthy aristocrat. A mere distraction, something to show off to company and otherwise ignore. She'd never survive, but then why did he care?

"What?" He ground out and she took an involuntary step back, looking stricken. Resisting the urge to give her something to really flinch about, he held out his hand.

Her expression instantly transformed from wary to fully absorbed as she took his hand, the pigmentation in her skin darkening slightly and her scent changing. He huffed amusedly. From terrified of him to attracted to him in the blink of an eye. Such an ignorant little thing. He focused on the small hand nestled in his, thinking of how with the slightest thought he could crush her bones. How he could break her and rip her to pieces without any real effort. Would she trust him not to hurt her if she knew?

"The next one's right down the block-"

"Tomorrow," he interrupted, feeling the strain on his holo building. He needed to find a secluded spot to deactivate it far from prying human eyes.

"Oh, right," she licked her lips, staring down at her shoes. "Sunny?"

He sighed. She could sound annoying like his twin when she wanted to, he decided. Sideswipe was a master of manipulation and would adapt any tact to get his way. Primus, he missed the slagger.

"Yeah?"

"I just… wanted to thank you again… for before," she mumbled and before he could move away she stood up on tiptoe and kissed his cheek.

He felt his eyes widen in shock at the femme's audacity as she pulled her hand loose, head down again. She took off suddenly, her shock of brown hair flaring out behind her as she disappeared into the sea of other pushing, jostling humans.

His fingers moved of their own accord to touch his cheek. What had she… why had she… He scrubbed at his cheek, suddenly furious. Stinking humans and their friendship.

* * *

"You have fun shopping?"

Cassey's shoulders bunched, before she went ahead and pushed the apartment's door all the way open and stepped inside. If looks could kill, the one Valerie was shooting her would have been overkill. It still wasn't enough to cut through her euphoria at getting to be with _him_.

"You guys didn't expect me to stay cooped up here the whole time I'm here, right?" She ventured, trying for her least panicky smile. "The point of this vacation is to have fun."

"Fun is good, I like fun," Valerie drawled, standing up to her full, unimposing height and stalking over. "You however have never been to this city before and I'd really hate to have to tell your mom that you made the news."

Cassey felt the blood drain from her face. "You didn't…" She moaned, her voice pleading.

"Not yet, but don't try me. You're going to park your little ass here while either me or Sophie isn't here." Valerie moved in, eyes glittering like a shark's scenting prey.

Groaning, Cassey flopped onto the couch. She watched Valerie glower at her, before moving into the kitchen. She loved her cousins, she really did, but how could they understand how she felt?

She was in love.

_Sunny._ She smiled and rolled onto her stomach on the couch, plucking at the tassles on one of Sophie's designer pillows. Her very own savior. Her handsome guardian angel and she'd kissed him. She blushed, burying her face against the pillow. She wondered about sneaking something from Sophie's closet for their… date tomorrow. A tiny giggle escaped her at the thought. Sure, it wasn't a conventional date, but Sunny wasn't a conventional guy. He was dark, brooding and possessive.

She squeaked as Valerie poked her head back into the room at the sound of her giggling. Her older cousin's eyes narrowed slightly. "It's a boy isn't it? You met a boy."

Cassey's head shook wildly, her face flushing. "N-no."

Valerie only snorted. "Girl, you better behave yourself. Aunt Liz won't ever let me hear the end of it if you're fooling around and get knocked up. Jesus."

Sputtering, Cassey threw the pillow at Valerie's retreating form. She glowered in the general direction of the kitchen, waiting for Valerie to return, before settling back down on the couch. Maybe… maybe tomorrow Sunny would hold her hand again. He made her feel so protected…


	8. Ch8: Psychosis

Wide Spread Panic dun own no Transformers.

Author's Note: WARNING WARNING WARNING! Holo x human. No likey, no read. Dark and twisted, not fluff so beware.

* * *

Ch.8: Psychosis

Cassey rolled over onto her back, staring at the stucco ceiling of the apartment and listened to Valerie banging pots from the kitchen. She knew most of her cousin's anger was out of worry- but she didn't know how to reassure her. Sunny was perfectly safe; he would never hurt her.

She wiggled until her legs overhung the couch's arm and stretched in a lazy arch until her muscles protested. She wondered vaguely what he was doing right then and she blushed. She pictured his strong face and wild eyes and hummed under her breath. He was just so handsome and perfect.

"Hey, you could help you know," Valerie snapped and Cassey instantly scrambled to join her. The older woman eyed her narrowly, her ire almost palpable as she rocked the large knife in her hand on the cutting board, mincing herbs. She pointed the knife blade at a cabinet. "Put some water on to boil."

Mumbling, Cassey dug a pot out, filled it, and put it on the stove. The kitchen, like the rest of the apartment, was usually spotless due to Sophie's obsessive-compulsive tendencies. Valerie had by all appearances managed to dirty nearly every utensil in the tiny room. The younger girl wondered where Sophie was and how loud she'd be when she saw the mess.

"Look," Valerie said, snapping Cassey from her reverie. "I don't mean to nag, it's just that you're not used to the city and it's dangerous. The Hangman's still on the loose and all."

"I'm not afraid of him," she muttered, adjusting the temperature on the stove eye a little higher.

"You should be." The words were caustic and biting as Valerie leveled the knife at her, no real threat in her body language.

She opened her mouth, prepared to tell Valerie that_ he_ would keep her safe, and stopped just in time. How could she even begin to explain how wonderful Sunny was to someone who'd never met him? Just the thought of introducing either of her cousins to him set off a ripple of unknown emotion through her. She didn't even remotely like the idea of sharing him with anyone.

* * *

Valerie and Sophie tended to sleep in late Saturday mornings, a fact that worked in Cassey's favor. The fact that Sophie didn't bother to lock or shut her bedroom door made things even better. The younger girl felt a mild flash of guilt as she tiptoed around her cousin's room to raid her closet. Sophie and Valerie both would be angry with her, she knew.

But it was for Sunny.

She felt a flush creep up her neck as she quietly picked through Sophie's closet, careful not to let the hangers rattle together. She selected a black silk skirt and a loose frilled blue shirt, before slinking back into the living room to change. She tossed the clothes on quickly, eager to be gone before her cousins woke up. This was much better than a T-shirt and jeans, she decided as she fingered the knee-length skirt. She wanted to look mature for Sunny. His approval was very important.

She paused in the bathroom, combing her fingers through her hair and tipping her head to see herself from different angles in the mirror. She bit her lip as she glanced at the mess of cosmetics Valerie left strewn all over the sink. Women wore makeup, she decided as she reached for a tube of lipstick. She wanted to be a woman, not a little girl for him.

The city was still dark as she left the apartment, her hands clutching a light jacket, also Sophie's, to her. The early morning was chilly and her breath puffed out in little clouds as she hurried onto the street.

A strange thrill raced through her as she considered telling Sunny how she felt. Sure it was conventionally, the man's place, but she was in love and-

She blinked, warming at the thought. She was in love. Her thoughts raced as she forced herself to keep walking. She could live here if this was where he was. Her mother would surely understand. She could get her GED later and go to college in the city. But most important of all, she would be with the one she loved and no one could take that away.

* * *

Exhaustion wormed its way deep into his processor as Sunstreaker contemplated exactly how long he'd been without proper recharge and more importantly, Energon. Long enough that his deprived systems would begin to become slightly unstable. He'd seen mechs with Energon-deprivation before. One Decepticon had become so unhinged he'd charged headlong at a battalion of Autobots… and demanded to be offlined.

A small shudder of revulsion rippled over the metal skin of the otherwise still Lamborghini as he contemplated it. He didn't want to go that way, but every day he held on and tried to stretch the limits of his holoform brought him closer and closer to that fate. A holo ate up copious amounts of energy, especially to keep it solid and push it so far from his physical body. The tearing sensation it caused in his processor could cause madness in of itself.

Calling for help, though… Stubbornness and need warred in his processor as he struggled to come to a decision. He would lose face if he had to call for an orbital jump out in the shape he was in.

He was so_ tired_ though. His resolve wavered as he imagined Sideswipe passing him a full cube of Energon, amid quips to regale him with his latest adventure. _Sideswipe_… Though he would never admit it, he missed his twin. He missed Cybertron. With that thought, the decision became easier as he opened up a jammed frequency and began to broadcast.

**+This is Autobot Sunstreaker. I need immediate retrieval, non-life threatening.+**

He was so tired, he didn't even immediately notice the human slinking around one side of his physical body. As soon as he did notice her, though he reacted. His holo flicked to life right behind the human and lunged. A sharp feminine yelp, escaped the human as he slammed it back against the alley wall, the sound almost shaming him as he registered who it was.

_Her._

"What do you want?" He growled as she squirmed until he let her go and moved around her in a wide arc. "Get away from me."

She swallowed, looking confused. "I thought we were going looking again?" The words were soft and cautious as she took a step towards him.

"I don't need you anymore. Leave," he snapped, slamming a fist against the wall by her head when she didn't move. He watched her whole body go tense as instinct tried to send her fleeing. He was tired and vulnerable and by Primus, she wasn't going to see him like that.

"Wha-what did I do?" Her voice wavered uncertainly, but to his surprise, she didn't make any move to leave. She only trembled and blinked watery eyes at him. His fury redoubled at her pitiful, hopeless expression. She was so eager to please; painfully eager and not nearly scared enough for her own good.

He shifted, letting some of his unnatural speed show and pushed her back up against the wall. He glared down at her, willing some sense into her soft head. She only cringed and mumbled his name.

His eyes narrowed faintly as he held her pinned, her fragile wrists in his much larger hands. Mixing with the fear he could both see in her and scent on her skin, was something completely out of place-excitement. The Pit-spawned thing was actually enticed by the roughness. Even more shocking to him, though was the fact that he was taking a dark amusement from the game as well.

After all, that was what it was to him. The human was simply a useful tool, utterly loyal and obedient. And not nearly scared enough of him, he decided as he stared her down. He should do something to change that.

"What do you want from me? I told you to_ leave_," he growled, watching the way her pupils dilated. Dear Primus, she _was_ getting a thrill out of it and even worse, so was he. Sunstreaker knew it was wrong, but at the same time her fear was so fresh and appealing.

"I-"

"You what?" He snarled, tightening his grip on her wrists until he could feel the delicate bones in their thin sheathe of skin grind together and she made a soft sound.

"I thought-" She warbled, trying again and he growled low in his throat. Cassey's eyes shut of their own volition as her body quivered. He'd gotten mad at her before, she knew and she knew deep down it had been her own fault. She tried so hard to please him and failed. He'd shoved her down before, but she'd needed it to learn.

"You thought," he mimed, eyes flashing icy blue as he leaned close and she licked her lips. If he didn't look at her face, he could almost imagine she was a femme he was toying with. The idea sent a carnal thrill through him as he eyed her with new interest. She was so desperate for his attentions after all, as disgusting as the little organic was. "What did you think exactly? That it was okay to not listen to me?"

"No," she mouthed, ducking her head slightly as he leaned forward. Her breath left her lungs as his warm frame pressed against hers; unexpected and sudden. His lips were parted and so close, she was sure he'd kiss her, but he leaned away again. She withered as he studied her, his cold eyes seeming to weigh her very essence. As always, he was just out of reach on a level she could never aspire to transcending. She felt suddenly ashamed for even thinking she was worthy of his attention.

Sunstreaker huffed, watching the play of mood and emotion across the human's face. Her thoughts were pathetically transparent and obvious to him. Fear, arousal, loss… He smiled cruelly, enjoying the little charade. He pondered on how far to go, how far to push her. A part of him wanted to see how much he could do to her before she broke.

Struggling to stifle his distaste for touching humans, he reminded himself that it would only be his holo touching her, not him. She looked so innocently unsure now that it only goaded him on as he leaned into her again and held himself there. Soft… too soft, too alien, he thought as his processor skipped back to the last femme he'd had.

Ah… Crossfire… She had been more than willing, drawn by his reputation and looks. He'd wanted her when he'd first seen her, but he'd let her come to him. He replayed the meeting in his mind as she'd stalked him and he'd let her. The novelty of a bold, wild femme had been too alluring at the time.

Cassey quivered as the hands pinning her wrists relented and shifted down her arms. When she tried to move, a low negative snarl escaped Sunny's lips and she went taut as a wire again. His large fingers were warm as they trailed over her bare skin, raising gooseflesh in their wake.

And it wasn't Earth anymore and she wasn't human.

He was in Iacon, taking a secret vicious pleasure as mechs and femmes recoiled from him as he walked the streets. He was fresh from Altihex; the grime, ash, and dried Energon on his armor blatantly declaring his status as a warrior. He thrilled at the disgust and fear on their faces as they gave him a wide berth. Later, once it was all washed away and he shone like the star he was, they would flock to him with their genteel minds eased and ask him to tell them what it was like.

Too snivelingly cowardly to do the things he did, they lived a little in his renditions of battles. He wasn't looking for their praise though, he was looking for a particular type of company.

He remembered heading for Zero, the sycophantic pulse of its music blaring into the streets as younger mechs lingered outside, laughing and drinking. Once inside, it hadn't taken him long to spot Cross; Pit, the femme had come and practically wrapped her slim frame around him, purring nothings in his audio.

He remembered the feel of her against him; the metal skin of her proto-armor more supple than his own, more flexible as he'd pinned her in the dark back room._ Not as soft as the body he was pressed against now_- No. Sunstreaker pushed reality further away, digging deeper into the memory. Her mouth on his skin, a warmth that trailed over the taut cables in his neck and lipped at his armor. He'd only spun her around and stripped her armor, amused as she pushed back against him with soft disappointed trills.

He buried his face against her neck, huffing through his vents her – _soft, floral scent mixed with a faint aroused musk-_ He growled, shaking his head deliberately as his hands shifted down the front of her frame. _Too soft, she was too soft-_ He groaned as she pressed her backside into his thighs with a soft sigh and his dental plating grazed her shoulder. She gave a soft yelp of almost protest that drew a predatory snarl from him as he pushed and they both tumbled onto the berth-_ the alley floor was cold and she yelped again_- as his mouth moved lazily over her.

He buried reality and gave the damn human exactly what she thought she wanted. A warm, willing body was a warm willing body in the end, he decided as he listened to her soft cries and mewls.

* * *

She came awake slowly, with a dazed sort of dread. She picked herself up off the cold, alley floor a little shakily and her fingers went to her clothes. She was dressed, but he'd undressed her hadn't he? Had she really done that with him? She looked around, spotting the now-familiar yellow Lamborghini and relaxed slightly when she finally spotted Sunny standing at the alley mouth, back to her.

"Sunny?" Her voice was hoarse and she felt stiff, but oddly pleased.

"Go home."

She blinked, struggling with the unexpected words and took a step forward, reaching for him but he shrugged out of her reach. "Just go home."

She felt tears prick her eyes again and she wondered what she'd done wrong. She was inexperienced, but he couldn't hold that against her could he? "Sunny? Please…"

"Cassey," he said and she froze, every fiber of her being vibrating at the sound of her name on his lips. "Go home."

She nodded, the tension easing out of her to be replaced with a tenuous wonder. He'd said her name! Her name! She opened her mouth, but realized she didn't know what to say. "I'll be back tomorrow?" She queried gently and his head tipped forward after a slight hesitation. She bunched her hands in her skirt, feeling oddly light as she hurried off to do as he'd said.

He'd said her name!

* * *

Darkness fell silently over the city, dragging a heavy feeling with it to seem to quiet even the street traffic not too far away and an alien sat brooding deep in his own world. While he felt mild disgust for consorting with the human, a part of him was smugly pleased at how much control he had over her. The little creature would do anything for him. Anything at all. He hummed as he stretched his awareness outward, feeling tired again.

Lights flared from the parked Lamborghini sending a couple of cats that had been sleeping on its roof fleeing. Snarling softly, Sunstreaker sank lower on his shocks. This inaction aggravated him to no end. From his position, he could just see the Earth's star rising. As annoying as it was, he found himself wondering when his little plaything would come to him. The asinine little creature was endearing in its pointless little attempts to garner his attentions. Not that he could blame her, he thought smugly. Wasn't it an organic prerogative to seek out the strongest,_ best _mate possible? Even her soft little squishy mind recognized his superiority and it pleased him on a primal level.

He rumbled to himself and scanned for more filthy animals to come sully his paint, before settling into the depths of his processor, reliving old battles and glory. He chuckled softly, purring. He had been a demon on the battlefield; all the younglings had looked up to his warrior finesse.

And yet, here he was felled by a bunch of primates on a back-water world. Fury instantly rose back to the forefront of his processor. Pit-forsaken humans and their filthy homeworld! One way of another, they would pay for this! Primus, if any of his fellow Autobots could see him now. He could only imagine what Sideswipe would say. Something insulting for sure, like-

"Primus, Sunny. You got your aft slagged big time."

Sunstreaker snapped to attention to see his twin moving cautiously over to him, crouching. The red mech looked achingly out of place in the alley, moving hesitantly so the building to either side wouldn't damage his paint. The familiar strong face, a mirror image of his own looked down at him. Sure, their helms were different and they'd settled on different upgrades and armor along the way, but they were sparked twins. He almost couldn't believe how much he'd missed his brother. "Sideswipe?"

"Nah, it's Ironhide with an upgrade. What happened to you?"

He wanted to smack his twin and hug him at the same time as he stared at him. This was his mission; his responsibility. And yet, he did want to go home, far from these ignorant savage insects that would cannibalize him as he recharged. "How'd you find me?"

Sideswipe scowled, slapping the Lambo's hood and earning a vicious snarl from him. "You think I can't track my own twin?" He asked, voice subdued. "I knew you were hurting… why wouldn't you ask for help?"

"I don't need anyone's help," Sunstreaker snarled grouchily as Sideswipe huffed. He felt a mild twinge of guilt to think Sideswipe had been aware that he was lying to him about everything being under control. Had Sideswipe felt his despair and fury as he'd been cannibalized too? He pushed the thought away, carefully and deliberately putting up his mental defenses and he watched Sideswipe lean away with a low rumble.

"Yeah, it looks that way. The ark's in orbit," the red mech mumbled as he laid his hand on his twin's hood. "I'm radioing for an orbital jump, bro."

Sunstreaker sighed softly, but couldn't bring himself to argue. He was tired of dealing with the humans and their miserable planet. After a moment, the familiar unpleasant tingle of the teleportation method began and Earth faded behind him.

* * *

Prowl turned away from his panel towards the other members of his expeditionary team. "Here they come."

Beachcomber and Trailbreaker both stepped clear of the arrival platform. The large black mech shifting back to his post, to double-check the shielding on the ship. The last thing they needed at this point was to be detected. Intelligence on this particular planet was limited to almost nothing of any use.

With a flash of light, the twins appeared on the bridge. Sideswipe shuddered in distaste, before turning to Prowl. "He needs a medic."

"First Aid will tend him," Prowl muttered, ignoring Sunstreaker's displeased muttering. "What of Earth?"

"I'll compile an official report," Sunstreaker muttered. He paused, the little femme coming to his processor unbidden, only to be replaced with the indignity of having been dismantled and crippled by the humans. The yellow warrior seethed, before snarling softly. "But there's nothing down there but filthy vicious animals. The Cons are more than welcome to it."

* * *

The Ark wasn't alone watching the Earth. A smaller ship with purposes as dark as its crew's thoughts circled lazily around the planet's only natural satellite. It had hung there, hidden and shielded for months; its inhabitants unbothered by the passage of what was only an instance in their long lives.

"What's happening?"

Swindle glanced over at Starscream and shrugged. "The Autobots are leaving."

"Leaving?" Swindle shuffled aside as Starscream loomed over his console, optics narrowing. "They're up to something," the air commander hissed.

"Should we follow them?" Thundercracker asked, sounding disinterested as he watched his monitor.

"No," Starscream muttered, optics scanning and flickering over the data feeds. "We go ahead with the infiltration as planned."

"I'm still getting readings of an Autobot energy signature, but its faint," Thundercracker muttered, leaning back in his seat and tipping his head to eye his wing-mate.

"An energy signature?" Swindle peered at the screen, earning a low growl from the blue and tan Seeker. "Feh, that's too low to be an Autobot. Has to be residual."

"Possibly so, Swindle," Starscream growled, eyes narrowing as the smaller Decepticon preened. "So go and see exactly what the energy signature is."

"What me?" Swindle gaped, backing up with his hands raised. "Hey, now. Hold on. I'm not built for scouting," he whined, yelping as the much larger Seeker seized him by the neck. "But I am highly adaptable!" He hissed out as he writhed to get loose with the sound of grinding metal.

"I thought as much," Starscream muttered as he dropped him.

* * *

Author's Note: Not the end, only a jumping point to something new. Cassey and Sunstreaker aren't through though. Please read and review.


	9. Ch9: Best of What's Around

_**AUTHOR'S NOTES**__: First off, sorry for the gap between updates. I've had a little writer's block, so I've been doodling on my DeviantArt page until it subsided... I hope everyone had an enjoyable holiday season and as always, humbly ask for patience with my sporadic updates. I don't own Transformers, of course_

* * *

Ch.9: The Best of What's Around

If sin, hatred, and lust had a taste it would be decadence itself. It was so thick and coiling in the air it was a heady rush on Swindle's glossa. Humans, he was quickly learning, were exquisite in their misery. And while the fleshy organics were disgusting in their weakness, that same weakness was a siren's call to him.

_Exploit us, Swindle. _

He would have been more than happy to, if not for the fact that he was on a mission. Of course, he grudgingly recognized the fact that he would be in an untold amount of pain if he gave in to impulse and abandoned his job to make a few credits. He comforted himself with the fact that once he'd found the source of the Autobot energy signature, he could requisition his most obnoxious air commander for permission to delve into this new world to make himself rich.

The form he'd chosen wasn't nearly as nimble as he would have liked. He'd never been one to forgo an alternate form that couldn't swiftly flee pursuit. The SUV he'd mimicked wasn't particularly fast, but the sheer amount of chrome the primitive vehicle had glittered with had been too tempting.

The envious stares of the pitiful organics he passed was certainly a plus.

It had taken him only kliks to figure out the primitive organic's so-called traffic system and now he felt smugly pleased as he weaved between the inferior vehicles crowding the streets. The fact that the colored lights dangling over or along the roads were actually coded instructions on how to proceed had been a surprise to him, but then these were primitive beings.

As one of the lights flashed to red- go figure- he slowed obediently to a stop.

And was instantly accosted by a native.

The organic's pigmentation was dark, but he suspected a lot of the coloration was simply filth. It made him wonder idly if the creature had applied the dirt to its flesh to protect it from the sun beating down and heating the surface under his wheels. At any rate, the thing was chattering at him and moving closer.

It made him glad he'd tinted the transparent viewing ports on the vehicle to black so the thing couldn't see no one was actually driving. The creature kept babbling as he noted the condition of its coverings- they were as filthy and tattered as it was, making him suspect it was a feral organic.

Annoyance flared as it fished a little bottle out of the recesses of the overly large coverings it wore and started spritzing him with liquid. His engine snarled softly as it produced an equally dirty rag and made as though to wipe off the liquid with it. All while babbling incessantly and trying to peer in at him.

_Frag this._

As the human leaned in to touch him with the rag, he flicked out one of his windshield wipers. The human squawked in surprise as he clipped it in the head and let his engine's snarl grow louder in warning.

The little creature rubbed at its face, its expression wavering between confusion and alarm. Its vocalizations were getting louder to his irritation and when he'd just decided to try and smack it away again, the light changed.

Green meant go.

His bumper slammed the fleshy obstruction in front of him and one of his tires humped over it. The creature screeched as it didn't move out of his way quickly enough. Judging by the awful caterwauling, he supposed he must have only passed over one of its extremities. It would still have three functioning limbs, and surely that was plenty.

* * *

"Are you just going to bum around then?"

Cassey eased the decorative pillow she'd been holding over her face to the right and stared balefully up at Valerie. The older woman didn't look all that pleased herself, but Cassey refused to feel guilty. Val simply had no idea what she'd been through.

_Sunny_. She pressed the pillow more firmly over her eyes. She could block out the bright overhead light, but she couldn't block out his face- it was always waiting on her.

"I know you're mad you got caught sneaking out, but come on," Valerie said. She sounded mildly annoyed as she yanked the pillow away. "You had to know we'd catch you."

Cassey sighed and sat up. "It seemed important at the time." She managed to get the words out even though it felt like her throat was trying to close up. Sunny had used her and left, but oddly she couldn't summon any anger at him. Maybe because it was all directed at herself.

"You still haven't told us where you went." Valerie set the pillow on one of the chairs as she studied Cassey.

"I haven't." She agreed listlessly.

Valerie's eyes narrowed for a moment as she chewed on the tip of her tongue. "You know you can talk to me or Sophie if you need anything, right?" Her voice softened slightly and Cassey fidgeted feeling guilty.

"I know."

Giving a sigh, the older girl leaned over and kissed her on the top of her head like she'd done when Cassey had been only four or five years old. Cassey blinked slowly up at her cousin, feeling tears stinging her eyes.

She hated herself for it, but she found herself flinging herself against Valerie and clutching at her. She was crying like a heartbroken child, but she had no strength to stop. Valerie tolerated her tears with grace, running a hand over her hair and murmuring soothing nothings to her.

"I love him." She found herself moaning the three words over and over, even though Valerie couldn't have any idea who she was talking about. There was release in just telling someone-anyone.


End file.
